All Purpose Politics and News Thread

[Darth Penguin]

Holy grail of ship wreaks caught in 3 way court battle

The discovery of the “holy grail of shipwrecks” off the coast of Colombia this week has provoked a three-cornered fight over ownership of the gold, emeralds and other treasures on the ocean floor.
New battle looms over rights to the world's richest shipwreck


Read more



In a tale that mixes 18th-century buccaneering with 21st-century courtroom drama, the San José, a Spanish galleon carrying one of the richest cargos in naval history, was sunk by British warships in 1708 and is now once again at the heart of a conflict.
Colombia, Spain and a US salvage company have lodged competing claims to the chests of pieces of eight, silver coins and jewels, which are estimated to be worth between US$1bn (£662m) and US$17bn.
The San José was the flagship of an armada carrying treasure from Spain’s colonies in South America to the court of King Philip V to fund battles against the British in the War of Succession. On 8 June 1708, it was was attacked off the coast of Cartagena by a British squadron led by Admiral Charles Wager, who wanted to steal the gold. But before the San José could be boarded, it exploded and sank with the loss of all but 11 of its 600 crew and passengers.

[Darth Penguin]

wrong quote...sorry.

[Darth Penguin]

Well he did arm the taliban which led to many problems in the middle east today

President Carter may have started arming the Taliban but under President Reagan it was greatly enhanced...

On 3 July 1979, Carter signed a presidential finding authorizing funding for anticommunist guerrillas in Afghanistan.^[1] Following the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in December Operation Storm-333 and installation of a more pro-Soviet president, Babrak Karmal, Carter announced, "The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is the greatest threat to peace since the Second World War".^[12]
President Reagan greatly expanded the program as part of the Reagan Doctrine of aiding anti-Soviet resistance movements abroad. To execute this policy, Reagan deployed CIA Special Activities Division paramilitary officers to equip the Mujihadeen forces against the Soviet Army. Although the CIA and Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson have received the most attention for their roles, the key architect of the strategy was Michael G. Vickers, a young CIA paramilitary officer working for Gust Avrakotos, the CIA's regional head who had a close relationship with Wilson. Vicker's strategy was to use a broad mix of weapons, tactics, logistics, along with training programs, to enhance the rebels' ability to fight a guerilla war against the Soviets.^[13][14] Reagan's program assisted in ending the Soviet's occupation in Afghanistan.^[15][16] A Pentagon senior official, Michael Pillsbury, successfully advocated providing Stinger missiles to the Afghan resistance, according to recent books and academic articles.^[17]
The program relied heavily on the Pakistani President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, who had a close relationship with Wilson. His Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was an intermediary for funds distribution, passing of weapons, military training and financial support to Afghan resistance groups.^[18] Along with funding from similar programs from Britain's MI6 and SAS, Saudi Arabia, and the People's Republic of China,^[19] the ISI armed and trained over 100,000 insurgents between 1978 and 1992^{[citation needed]}. They encouraged the volunteers from the Arab states to join the Afghan resistance in its struggle against the Soviet troops based in Afghanistan.^[18]
According to Peter Bergen, writing in Holy War, Inc., no Americans trained or had direct contact with the mujahideen.^[20] The skittish CIA had fewer than 10 operatives in the region because it "feared it would be blamed, like in Guatemala".^[21] Civilian personnel from the U.S. Department of State and the CIA frequently visited the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area during this time, and the US contributed generously to aiding Afghan refugees.

[DaveP]

Peter MacKay leads Conservative leadership poll, again

I could live with him.

I mean live with him as leader, not like... nevermind.

[Natalka]

Me, too, Dave. I think our premier is pretty tired of being asked and badgered by everyone as to him going for the leadership, he says no is no.

added this op ed piece about why he wouldn't

http://thestarphoenix.com/opinion/co...deral-politics

[gryphon]

Venezuela voters elected a right wing government and ended 16 years of socialist rule

[DaveP]

Venezuela voters elected a right wing government and ended 16 years of socialist rule

Not exactly. Maduro will still be President until 2019. I don't understand the Venezuelan system well but I think it's something like the US where the President can be a Democrat while the Republicans control congress.

[heartgirl99]

and the feeding frenzy continues

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/the-pri...alks-1.2686239

The price of Paris: Canada sends more than 300 delegates to climate talks

"......An idea of how much the COP21 talks will cost Canada has begun to emerge as officials from the national and provincial levels of government release estimates of their expenses.

According to figures provided to CTV, the federal government has budgeted more than $650,000 for the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) delegation alone.
Of those funds, about $200,000 is allocated for accommodation, $48,000 for flights, $105,967 for meals and incidentals, and $200,000 for “other” (transport, office and equipment rental, telecommunications, shipping and hospitality), according to an Environment Canada official....."

..."Ontario: Twenty-two ministry officials will join Premier Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Glen Murray and “support staff” at the talks, according to a spokesperson. A cost estimate has not been released. Additionally, Wynne is expected to make two round-trip flights to Paris to attend Question Period back in Toronto...."

it doesn't say whether justin and family took both nannies or just one

[heartgirl99]

oooops!
duplicate post.

[Natalka]

@heartgirl99 - and many of the delegates, why in the world were they even there?

Prime example is one from Saskatoon -

Erica Lee, an activist and the lone Saskatchewan representative in Canada’s youth delegation at a climate change summit in Paris, has drawn criticism for posting a photo online of her sticking her tongue out with Premier Brad Wall in the background.



She posted the photo on her Twitter and Facebook accounts, asking if there were “any messages to Brad for me to pass along?”
Since posting the photo, which has widely shared, Lee said she has received “lots of angry messages” about the photo, with some comments saying it was “immature and disrespectful.”

more on her

http://thestarphoenix.com/storyline/...rence-in-paris

her response

[heartgirl99]

@heartgirl99 - and many of the delegates, why in the world were they even there?

Prime example is one from Saskatoon -

Erica Lee, an activist and the lone Saskatchewan representative in Canada’s youth delegation at a climate change summit in Paris, has drawn criticism for posting a photo online of her sticking her tongue out with Premier Brad Wall in the background.



She posted the photo on her Twitter and Facebook accounts, asking if there were “any messages to Brad for me to pass along?”
Since posting the photo, which has widely shared, Lee said she has received “lots of angry messages” about the photo, with some comments saying it was “immature and disrespectful.”

more on her

http://thestarphoenix.com/storyline/...rence-in-paris

her response

why were they there?
pigs at the trough, nat.
they're all the same.
justin can afford to pay for as many nannies as they feel they need. we don't have to pay for the 2 they have hired.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/just...ical-1.3345671
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10...n_8374458.html

[Natalka]

About the nannies, I don't know whether taxpayers have paid for kids of PMs before - but for me, that isn't the biggest point. (I just did some research, and yes they had - for PET after the divorce, and Mulroney)

BUT, before the election, Trudeau made such a HUGE deal that he wouldn't be needing any help with money for raising his kids, he was berating what the Conservatives were doing with the child payments and income splitting.

And here he is, two workers looking after his kids.

[DaveP]

@heartgirl99 - and many of the delegates, why in the world were they even there?

Prime example is one from Saskatoon -

Erica Lee, an activist and the lone Saskatchewan representative in Canada’s youth delegation at a climate change summit in Paris, has drawn criticism for posting a photo online of her sticking her tongue out with Premier Brad Wall in the background.



She posted the photo on her Twitter and Facebook accounts, asking if there were “any messages to Brad for me to pass along?”
Since posting the photo, which has widely shared, Lee said she has received “lots of angry messages” about the photo, with some comments saying it was “immature and disrespectful.”

more on her

http://thestarphoenix.com/storyline/...rence-in-paris

her response

Wow, everything is about race now, even when it isn't. Race, race, race, race... gah.

[DaveP]

About the nannies, I don't know whether taxpayers have paid for kids of PMs before - but for me, that isn't the biggest point. (I just did some research, and yes they had - for PET after the divorce, and Mulroney)

BUT, before the election, Trudeau made such a HUGE deal that he wouldn't be needing any help with money for raising his kids, he was berating what the Conservatives were doing with the child payments and income splitting.

And here he is, two workers looking after his kids.

Yup, that was the point. He campaigned on one thing and even before his first throne speech he was already doing the opposite. The Liberals are back.

[heartgirl99]

About the nannies, I don't know whether taxpayers have paid for kids of PMs before - but for me, that isn't the biggest point. (I just did some research, and yes they had - for PET after the divorce, and Mulroney)

BUT, before the election, Trudeau made such a HUGE deal that he wouldn't be needing any help with money for raising his kids, he was berating what the Conservatives were doing with the child payments and income splitting.

And here he is, two workers looking after his kids.

that's what i meant. on top of that, i think at one point he said he didn't need the salary.